Post on 29-Dec-2015
Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921)• Academic by profession:
President of Princeton University; PhD in Political Science
• In entering the war, he hoped to lead the world towards a "just peace"
• For him, WW1 would become the “war to end all wars.”
• As a professional academic, he was more idealistic than most of his supporters
Wilson’s 14 Points• Wilson condensed his ideas for
peace into one speech: “The 14 Points”
• Hoped to prevent new wars from happening
• “National Self-Determination” would allow for independence of nations within
– Austro-Hungarian Empire
– Ottoman Empire
– Poland
– Colonies in Africa and Asia
• Reduce national armaments
• Freedom of the seas
Wilson Traveled to Versailles• Asked Americans to re-elect
Democrats to Congress in 1918; instead, Republicans won both House and Senate
• Wilson chose mostly Democrats to be on his negotiating team in France
• Wilson demanded a “peace without victory” to create a peaceful future
• England, France, and Italy demanded war guilt and revenge
• Germany, Austria, Ottoman Empire took no part in talks
• Russia did not attend
Punishing Germany at Versailles• Clause 231: Germany forced to
admit to starting WW1
• Germany was forced to pay “reparations” money to pay to England and France
• Reparations were huge sum of gold to be paid over 20 years
• Some feared that reparations would ruin Germany’s economy
• Austria did not pay reparations because it went bankrupt immediately after war
• US did not receive reparations, but England and France used money to repay US banks
National Self-Determination• Theory: nations could decide
their independence and borders would reflect their populations
• Truth: Some nations got independence, many didn’t.
• Germans were not united because Allies feared a larger Germany
• New countries:
– Czhechoslovakia
– Romania
– Bulgaria
– Yugoslavia (Balkan nations, combined into one kingdom)
– Poland
– Estonia
– Latvia
– Lithuania
But Not for Africa, Asia• England and France kept
colonial control in Africa and Asia
• England and France gained control of territories in Middle East (temporary “mandates” to control land of Ottoman Empire)
• Wilson succeeded in adding “League of Nations” to peace treaty
– First try at an international organization of nations to work for peaceful conflict resolution
– Failed mostly because US did not join
– US Republicans feared that the League could drag the US into a war the US might not want
US Senate Rejected Treaty• “Reservationists” in Senate
liked treaty, except for Article 10 of League of Nations
• John Cabot Lodge led Republicans against treaty because Wilson was Democrat
• Internationalists liked treaty• Wilson spoke across country in
favor of treaty: collapsed from overwork (in Pueblo, CO!)
• “Partisanship” killed the treaty: US signed separate treaty in 1921